The northern winds have already risen, but the Jiangdong region remains somewhat cold. In the palace of Jianye, Sima Rui looked at the just-delivered military report and sighed softly, “The puppet emperor’s command post has finally been wiped out, and this time, Zhong has worked hard and achieved much!”
After capturing Shou City and eliminating the rebels, Wang Dun did not immediately withdraw his forces. Instead, following Sima Rui’s orders, he went to Xu County to attack the puppet emperor’s command post that had fled there. The Inspector of Xu County, Xing Ying, the brother-in-law of the puppet emperor, saw the situation becoming unfavorable and immediately had the idea to hide the puppet emperor and defend himself. However, with Xu County’s military strength far inferior to Wang Dun’s and the rebellion in Qing County, after holding out for a few months, he handed over the puppet emperor, choosing to survive.
Wang Dun, without any hesitation, ordered the execution of Sima Duan, completely eliminating this hidden danger.
Upon receiving the news, Sima Rui couldn’t help but rejoice. Among all the puppet emperor’s command posts, only Prince Yuzhang, Sima Duan, was established in Shou City, and he was the real brother of the former emperor. It could threaten the political power Sima Rui had just obtained if not dealt with.
Now that Sima Duan is dead and the Xu County command post is broken, Sima Rui’s heart has finally settled.
As for the command posts in Yong County and Yan County, Sima Rui didn’t care at all. After all, Liu Yao was in charge of Yong County, and Yan County had Shi Le. Could these two non-Han individuals be allowed to run wild? For him, the mutual containment between the two sides was actually a good thing. However…
After hesitating momentarily, Sima Rui whispered, “Can we now spare some forces to recover Yu and Yan?”
This question sounded strange, but Wang Dao, facing him, answered without any hesitation, “Although Xu County has been pacified, the situation in Jing County and Yang County is unstable. I think we should slowly plan to recover the north. We must not hastily raise troops!”
This statement was subtle. What did it mean to plan slowly? In essence, it meant preserving their own strength. After all, Wang had already moved the capital to Jianye, and the emperor was in his hands. Was there anything in the north that was worth lingering over?
Moreover, Sima Rui has already tasted the taste of holding the emperor. Initially, in the Three Kingdoms regions, he was ignored by both heaven and earth, and the influential families in Jiangdong didn’t even consider him, a member of the royal family. But now, holding the position of Grand Tutor and having a personally appointed young emperor in his hands, his power is comparable to that of Sima Yue in the past. Who dares to underestimate him?
And this title is particularly effective in rallying those southern-migrating aristocrats. When the northerners increase in number, and occupy a large number of estates and population, controlling the court situation will not be so difficult.
Everything is developing in the most favorable direction. What is Sima Rui most afraid of now? It’s not the Xiongnu or bandits, but his own clan and relatives!
How many descendants did Emperor Wu, Sima Yan, leave behind? Taking a step back, how many sons did Emperor Wen, Sima Zhao, have? And he, he is just the great-grandson of Emperor Xuan, Sima Yi, and the grandson of Wang, Marquis of Langya, Sima Fu. No matter how you rank by seniority or qualifications, he is not in line for the throne!
If someone could wipe out all these royal relatives, it would be perfect. Sima Rui has secretly hoped for this many times. But saying such things is not something he should say. Thus, there was a discreet inquiry. And Wang Dao, just in the right measure, gave him the answer he wanted.
Indeed, hearing these words, Sima Rui’s brows relaxed, nodding and saying, “After the recent turmoil, we need to recuperate properly. Besides, there’s still Liang Zixi in the North. When the time is right, a pincer attack from both sides will be good to defeat the enemy. By the way, how is the situation at the new port in Ji County?”
Previously, Sima Rui had considered using river transport to control grain transportation, but the idea was beautiful yet utterly impractical. One issue was the long-term disrepair of the river channels, and even more fatal was the chaotic state of the territories along the route. Even if sailing in the river, one couldn’t guarantee one hundred percent safety. However, while river transport had not shown improvement, maritime transport was thriving. The new port in Ji County naturally became a focal point of Sima Rui’s attention.
Wang Dao sighed, “Duke Liang indeed has extraordinary capabilities. In the past few months, there have been no less than two hundred ships sailing from Yang County to Ji County.”
“So many?” Sima Rui was also surprised. Wang Dao only mentioned Yang County, but wasn’t there ships from other regions involved in maritime and trade activities?
Wang Dao nodded, “Ji County’s new port does not levy tariffs, which attracts merchants in droves. Perhaps it is due to the shortage of grain in the northern region that this strategy has been adopted.”
Hearing that there were no tariffs, Sima Rui suddenly realized and then chuckled, “Liang Zixi is indeed cunning. By not collecting taxes, where does the money and grain to be handed over to the court come from? Well, such considerations are not worth worrying about. It is more important to control the grain route in Bing County.”
No matter how powerful the regional lords were, they still had to show allegiance to the court publicly. Collecting tariffs and not remitting some to the court would be unseemly. Of course, this was said to sound good. If Liang Feng really made up his mind to be stingy, Sima Rui wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.
“The grain route in Bing County is still secondary; the real problem would be if the Three Kingdoms noble families forgot their roots for the sake of profit,” Wang Dao didn’t follow his words this time and reminded, “It’s better to keep an eye on maritime trade. In the current chaotic times, having control over grain is fundamental.”
“Um…” Sima Rui nodded, “What Mao Hong said makes sense. We can consider increasing market rents to prevent merchants from getting carried away.”
Hearing this, Wang Dao couldn’t help but smile bitterly in his heart. Was this really just a matter of increasing market rents? Clearly, it was about expanding control over the Three Kingdoms’ noble families! The current situation was completely different from what was envisioned. If the merchants were driven solely by greed and the grain flowed out uncontrollably, it would pose a significant threat to the safety of Yang County. However, he could understand Sima Rui’s response. The Three Kingdoms’ noble families were not to be easily offended at the moment. Balancing and controlling them was truly a headache. Well, let’s deal with the urgent matter first. Once more people migrate south, they can cultivate more fields and increase production.
However, he wondered how Liang Zixi viewed their legitimacy deep down. With the Grand Ceremony approaching, it might be an opportunity to explore his attitude.
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The Southern Court did not care about the sentiments in the Central Plains hinterland. Similarly, Liang Feng’s focus at the moment was not on Yu County or Yan County.
“Although Xin City has started to lay out its strategy, the influence of the Murong clan in Liaodong is probably far beyond expectations,” Zhang Bin’s expression was somewhat worried; this was an unexpected development.
According to the previous plan, Shen Da successfully infiltrated Ping County. However, the first contact was not with Ping County’s commander Cui Bi or the Murong tribe but with the Yuwen tribe.
The one who might be most resentful about the Xianbei Duan clan taking control of You County was probably the Yuwen tribe. After all, they had married Wang Jun’s daughter, and now their brother-in-law had become Shangguan. Who would willingly accept this? Moreover, a few years ago, the Yuwen tribe suffered a significant defeat at the hands of the Murong tribe, making the situation even more difficult to endure. With ambitions and justifications, it became relatively simple to infiltrate.
According to the plan, after Shen Da’s infiltration, he needed to quickly persuade the Yuwen tribe to join Cui Bi. With this leverage, Cui Bi probably wouldn’t let the gradually growing Murong tribe by his side go unnoticed. By disrupting the military situation and involving the Duan tribe, they could create a situation where the flames of war spread across You and Ping Counties.
However, now, the unexpected strength of the Murong tribe brought a variable to the plan.
“If Murong Hui implements Han rituals within the tribe, promotes agriculture, and values talents, given a few more years, he might unify You and Ping. Even the Tuoba tribe might not be able to stop them.” This was the matter that Zhang Bin cared about the most.
According to the original plan, both the Murong and Tuoba tribes were the targets they supported, representing the two forces eventually vying for control of You County. However, raising a tiger could become a menace. If the Tuoba tribe couldn’t withstand the Murong tribe and was swallowed up by them, the Murong clan would become a more formidable enemy than the Duan clan, entrenched in Bing County. That would make it even more challenging to deal with.
Regarding this result, Liang Feng was not particularly surprised. The Murong clan proclaiming an emperor was earlier than the Tuoba clan, and their stronger power was not unexpected. He asked in response, “How many years does it take for the rise of the Murong tribe? And how many years for the stability of Ji County?”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Bin understood the lord’s intention. He didn’t care much about the rise of the Murong tribe; in fact, he considered it a matter of course. What they were competing for now was who could restore order and grow more quickly.
This was a risky move, but the prerequisite for taking risks was that they had no better alternatives. With a sigh, Zhang Bin said, “I will arrange it. Stirring up trouble within the Duan clan, buying some time.”
The war in Ping County was just the prelude; involving the Duan tribe was the key. The previous campaign in Bing County had essentially destroyed the foundation of Duan Jilu’s power. As the heir of the Duan tribe, if he didn’t have enough influence, it would be challenging to secure his position. Duan Wu was not young anymore; taking advantage of this opportunity to sow discord, who wouldn’t be in chaos?
Liang Feng nodded, “Proceed according to the plan in You and Ping. As long as the Xianbei tribes cannot spare their forces. Compared to You County, the recent weather is more worrying…”
“Is the lord afraid of a drought?” Although Zhang Bin was in charge of military affairs, he also had a deep understanding of civil matters. It had not rained for several months since the autumn harvest. This was not good news.
If there was no snow this winter, the soil in the fields would lack moisture, making it impossible to cultivate winter wheat. Spring plowing would be out of the question. Without the grains from this season, it would be a life-threatening problem.
“Not bad. Regardless of next year’s weather, water management should take the lead. If we can create a project similar to the Zhengguo Canal, Bing County will not suffer from droughts and floods,” Liang Feng said.
The Zhengguo Canal diverted water from the Jing River into the Luo River, irrigating more than 40,000 hectares of fertile land in the Guanzhong region. This project, which benefited the region and became a lasting water management achievement, was something everyone desired.
Bing County also had abundant water resources. Every time the Fen River surged, the people on both banks suffered greatly. Taiyuan, located in the basin, was one of the leading grain-producing areas in the later years. Currently, it has not fully utilized its advantages, and there must be reasons for that. If they could manage it properly and turn the problem into an advantage, it would be a long-term strategy.
Zhang Bin responded, “Taiyuan might not have the geographical advantage of the Zhengguo Canal, and water management is not an overnight task. I will discuss with Lord Zu to see if we can come up with a plan.”
He had several cartographers under his command, and if they were to construct a canal, mapping would be essential.
Liang Feng nodded. Celestial phenomena were beyond human control, so early planning was crucial. He only hoped for favorable weather to last a bit longer, giving him more time to prepare.
